って (colloquial quotation)

• Reading: って
• Romaji: tte
• Formation: Quoted content + って + (言った / 聞いた / implied)

Meaning

A colloquial quotation marker used to report what someone said or what one heard. It is a casual equivalent of と (quotation particle).

って as a quotation marker is a casual form of the quotative particle と, often replacing と言った (to itta, said that) or と聞いた (to kiita, heard that) in spoken Japanese. It can report direct or indirect speech and is extremely common in daily conversation. Unlike と, which is neutral and usable in all registers, って signals informality and is inappropriate in formal writing or polite speech. It can appear with or without a following verb: 田中さんが来るって (I heard Tanaka is coming) omits the verb entirely, relying on context. When って appears at the end of a sentence with rising intonation, it often seeks confirmation: 明日来るって? (You said you're coming tomorrow?). This pattern is distinct from って as a topic marker.

Examples

1. 彼女は来週引っ越すって言ってたよ。 She said she's moving next week.
2. 天気予報で明日は雨だって。 The weather forecast says it will rain tomorrow.
3. 先輩が手伝ってくれるって。 The senior said they'll help us.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, everyday

Tone: conversational

Do Say

• 鈴木さんが会議は中止だって言ってた。
• 友達が来月結婚するって聞いた。
• 店員さんが三十分待ちだって。

Don't Say

• 社長が来月出張されるって伺いました。(Mixing って with polite 伺いました is inconsistent — use と: 社長が来月出張されると伺いました) → 社長が来月出張されると伺いました。
• ニュースで景気が回復してるって報道されています。(って is too informal for reporting news formally — use と: と報道されています) → ニュースで景気が回復していると報道されています。

Origin & History

A colloquial contraction of the quotative particle と. Its use as a shortened quotation marker became established in spoken Japanese during the Edo period and is now standard in casual conversation.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal